Pakistan delays final call on T20 World Cup participation

Pakistan cricket chief Mohsin Naqvi said on Monday a final decision on the team’s participation in next month’s T20 World Cup will be delayed by up to a week, keeping open a possible boycott over Bangladesh’s withdrawal.

Naqvi met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Monday to take his advice on the situation, after which a call was expected to be made, but the cricket board boss posted on X that “the final decision will be taken either on Friday or next Monday”.

Describing a “productive meeting” with the premier, he said Sharif “directed that we resolve it while keeping all options on the table”.

Naqvi threw the national cricket team’s participation into doubt on Saturday, saying Pakistan could pull out after the International Cricket Council (ICC) replaced Bangladesh in the tournament.

ALSO READ | Bangladesh to skip T20 WC after impasse with BCCI, ICC: A timeline of events

Local media also reported that Pakistan could also boycott a February 15 match against arch-rival India over political tension.

Pakistan’s reaction comes after the ICC rejected Bangladesh’s demands to relocate its World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka over security fears.

On Saturday, the ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland as per the Twenty20 international rankings.

Pakistan backed Bangladesh’s stance in Wednesday’s ICC Board virtual meeting, saying there was a precedence of relocating India’s matches on security fears from Pakistan in last year’s Champions Trophy.

Then India, which has not toured Pakistan since 2008, played all its matches in Dubai.

ALSO READ | Withdrawal of Bangladesh a sad moment for cricket: World Cricketers’ Association Chief

The same option was given to Pakistan which will not tour India and play its T20 World Cup matches in Sri Lanka under an agreement signed last year saying the two countries will play on neutral venues whenever one of them hosts an ICC event.

Pakistan and Bangladesh revived their sour relations after the ousting of prime minister Sheikh Hasina in a student-inspired uprising in Bangladesh.

In contrast, Dhaka and New Delhi fell out over demands India hand over the fugitive former premier.

Earlier this month, the Board of Control for Cricket in India told Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to drop Bangladesh cricketer Mustafizur Rahman due to political tensions.

Bangladesh then refused to play in India and demanded its matches be relocated to co-host Sri Lanka, but the ICC rejected the appeal.

Published on Jan 26, 2026